Sowing and Reaping

Sowing and reaping has been on my heart for a while now...sort of on the top shelf or in the back of the closet. But it was brought instantly to the forefront when I listened to Kris Vallotton's podcast Famine-Breaking Generosity. It rocked me and I had to listen to it again with my husband later that night. Kris was speaking on wealth because it was an easy example, but it is true for every area of life. If we aren't sowing positively, we aren't reaping positively. Are we sowing a crop right now that we want to reap in a few months or years time?

The main thing impressed on my heart was giving in times of lack, when our natural tendecy is to hoard. I admit to being a hoarder. And I also stand right now today and say that I choose with God's strength to break that curse over my life and my family in this moment. I don't recieve it any longer as a generational curse and it will not be passed down to the generations that come after me.

A scriptural reference Kris gave in his sermon for sowing in times of lack was Genesis 26:1a&12-13

"Now there was a famine in the land...And Isaac sowed into that land and reaped in that same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy."

It doesn't make sense to sow into the ground that is dry from famine. And yet in faith Isaac did it and reaped a hundredfold in the first year! Amazing! God has been showing me that I have been unwilling to sow into other's lives in times of personal famine and thus am reaping more famine in my life. Like a desert that slowly eats away little by little at the healthy ground.

The past couple weeks with the Christmas season approaching, God has been impressing upon me to give of myself to others for Christmas. It means more than spending lots of money (which we don't have) on Christmas presents that are nice in the moment, but soon collect dust on a shelf or get re-gifted. I have been frustrated with Christmas for a long time now. I hate Christmas shopping and the gift giving process seems mostly meaningless to me. I'd rather give something that costs more than money.

Today's society seems to think that throwing money at something is an answer. A solution. I prefer to throw some time and love even though it takes more from me and in a sense costs more. So the past few weeks God has been placing a few people on my heart to make handmade Christmas gifts for. Nothing spectacular, in fact they are costing me moneywise next to nothing. But making them takes time, energy and careful planning. As I work on them I think and pray for the person the gift is intended for. The gift in itself is very simple, but the heart behind it is well-meaning. God is teaching me the true spirit of giving in this coming season which is His season, Christ the Ultimate Giver.

"The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." Matthew 13:31&32

Something small can grow into something big that blesses a lot of people. Nurturing such a tiny seed may seem pointless in todays society where 'bigger is better.' But God is not ashamed for us to start out small. Perhaps tending that small seed is all we can handle at the moment. He knows that a tiny seed planted in faith, watered and lovingly tended will grow into a great tree that blesses many for generations. I'm learning not to let pride keep me from doing the 'small' things God has asked me to do instead of waiting to do the 'big' things in his kingdom. From little things, big things grow.